A stoush between the Queensland police union and incoming police commissioner Ian Stewart has erupted into public warfare, with the union accusing Mr Stewart of being dictatorial and claiming police are scared to do their job beneath him.

Tensions have been brewing for weeks, but it is understood they were kept behind closed doors until Police Union president Ian Leavers sent an email to more than 10,000 members complaining about Mr Stewart.

He then went on ABC 612 Brisbane this morning to say police were scared to do their jobs as they believe Mr Stewart is going to introduce a dictatorial regime with brutal punishments for police who make mistakes.

Ian Stewart will take over the role of Queensland Police Commissioner from retiring Bob Atkinson. Photo: Michelle Smith

"What I'm very concerned about, and so are the majority of police, they feel scared to be able to do their job through retribution, all they have heard is the big stick approach," Mr Leavers said.

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"... all of these ideas have been mooted in the media about what he's going to do, he's going to get tough, especially on discipline.

"He wants to be judge, jury and executioner when it comes to the disciplinary process and have it done within a very short timeframe."

Mr Stewart said he understood the union's concerns and laughed off the nickname it has bestowed on him – "Hurricane Stewart" – referencing the destruction they believe he will cause to the police service.

Mr Leavers said he had had conversations with "very senior" police who were also worried about what the reign of Mr Stewart would be like.

"It's either you do as you're told, you don't have an open mind or else," he said.

Mr Leavers complained there had been no consultation with the union "in any way, shape or form" and everyone was finding out about Mr Stewart's intentions through the media.

He praised outgoing commissioner Bob Atkinson, saying their relationship has been "very professional" and he hoped to emulate it with Mr Stewart.

"Never have I met a more compassionate man in times of need when police have been sick or been injured, and that is an important thing we need to remember about Commissioner Atkinson and everything else he has done," Mr Leavers said.

"As for the new regime, all we have heard is about the negativity, all of this technology he wants to introduce.

"It's very interesting when we talk about technology with Ian Stewart; where is the money coming from?"

Mr Stewart responded on 612 ABC Brisbane, saying the union was quite right to raise questions about the direction the police service was heading after 12 years of stability under Mr Atkinson.

"I don't have any ill feeling towards the union in this case," he said.

"Ian Leavers mentioned that one of the things I'm passionate about is discipline, but it's about making sure we don't overcook discipline. I do disagree with his perception of what he's saying I'm about.

"I'm about saying the small issues, the inattention, the mistake that is done in good faith, that should be quickly handled locally, put out of the road and let people get on with their job.

"But the big-end-of-town ones, where police officers basically commit quasi-criminal offences, there is the excessive force that no member of the community could justify and they're the ones that I'm talking about."

Mr Stewart said he had three key things he wanted police to do, which were to stop crime, make the community safer and build relationships across the community.

When asked if he had ever sought retribution against a police officer as suggested by Mr Leavers, he replied, "Ian and I have a great relationship. I've known him an awful long time and many of the things he has talked about are things that I'm passionate about."

Mr Stewart said a commissioner should have the power to quickly sack a police officer when the evidence was overwhelming, and the current process was "long and drawn out".

He said he was "quite grateful" to the union for the nickname "Hurricane Stewart".

"Because it is going to be a bumpy ride for the next couple of years and there are a whole range of reforms that I want to talk to the union about, or the unions. There are issues in terms of making us much more efficient, providing a better service to the community and ultimately managing the demands of a contemporary and very complex organisation as large as ours," he said.

12 comments

The Police Union needs to leave the Commissioner alone , I remember the same stuff when Ray Whitrod came in - he was decent and honest man too good for Queensland ( and Max Hodges was a honest Minister too) . It looks like the Police Union has already drawn a line in the sand and is spoiling for a fight with the Commissioner . Mr Stewart cames across to me as another good man . Lets just remember let the Union be a Union and not an arm of the Government as the Police Union have a tried and tested track record of getting into bed with the National Party Government now LNP - I seem to remember a memorandum of understanding back in the not too distant past, plus a whole list of other things certain members of the Police were up to from the Gair Government to the end of the Petersen Government - lets not let history repeat itself here because corruption is always waiting in the background waiting to pounce

Commenter

Bob Menzies

Location

Cannon Hill

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 2:21PM

The Queensland Police Union has far too much influence. They did pre-Fitzgerald (when Colin Chant ran the force from the stationery store) and nothing has changed. And with Dempsey being an ex-cop nothing will change in the foreseeable future. It's about time they supported the many decent cops, not the few thugs.

Commenter

Paul D

Location

Brissie

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 5:47PM

We need to get Rid of this Levers Wanker & its Long overdue he is like a Festering Puss Ball & all of QLD is sick of his Gobshite .

Commenter

Dr Lucas Hardy

Location

Wickham Terrace Brisbane

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 2:33PM

I'd take criticism from Leavers as being high praise and vice versa.

Commenter

James from Brisbane

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 2:57PM

The Police Union decided to get behind Campbell Newman at the last election and now reap what they sow. No support from other unions on this one - you made your bed... time to have a good lie down in it.

Commenter

Raz

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 3:15PM

Ian Leavers is a mouthpiece for that Socialist Commo Pinko Ratbag rent-a-crowd organisation of a union. They should be run out of the country and sent to Russia if they want to behave in that Communist loud mouth manner.Get your members out of Krispy Kreme and on the beat. Get your members oput of McDonalds and back on the beat. Have your ill disciplined members investigated by an outside source. have your members act on complaints other than those that are high profile or will benefit the members in the long term. Have your members pay back overpaid wages immediately instead of it being placed out of touch in their Superannuation accounts.You voted for Newman. As you say to the general public when you want greater powers - if you have done nothing wrong, then there is nothing to worry about.Enjoy the ride.

Commenter

George

Location

George Street

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 4:25PM

Seriously??? The QPU is about as far right as you can get. The rest of your post is simple hysteria, and I think it's a shame the moderators allowed it.

Commenter

Paul D

Location

Brissie

Date and time

November 01, 2012, 12:19AM

Does this mean the the union members have to do what the commissioner says and not what they want to do?

Commenter

Brian of Narangba

Location

Qld

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 4:48PM

What Ian Stewart want is in fact in place in many other police forces around the world and quite rightly so. clearly, if someone has committed breaches that are so serious they should no longer be a police officer then why keep them on and keep paying them?/ The sooner these types of people are ousted the better. you will find Ian Stewart has a firm attitude towards discipline. As Bob Atkinson said, enjoy the ride..!!

Commenter

Doctorphil

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

October 31, 2012, 5:56PM

Mr. Leavers please stop your constant bleating. Everyone in Queensland knows that you are little more than an apologist for the Queensland Police Force. Give the new Commissioner a chance to implement his three point plan.

He can start by investigating the two (2) police officers observed at 10.50am on Kingsford-Smith Drive, HAMILTON on the last day of October 2012. This police vehicle with lights flashing was parked across a driveway (which would earn a civilian points off their licence but never members of the police force where the rule seems to be 'Do as we say, not do as we do').

This thoughtlessness and arrogance prevented an older lady in her vehicle from exiting a nearby building. Only one officer was remonstrating with a gentleman (and no it wasn't me). The other officer, could easily have moved the police vehicle from across the public driveway but chose not to do so.

Explain that Mr.Leavers! Would I bother contacting Police HQ? Not on your nelly because not only would the issue be ignored; the complainant would be identified and who knows what would happen then.